March 17, 2014

Every morning, the great cellist and pianist Pablo Cassals would play two of the Prelude and Fugues for keyboard by Bach. He felt that it started his day with God, adding that “Bach wrote every piece to the glory of God.”
The pressure to practice and perform in the arts can be huge, and that stress can lead to some serious health concerns that musicians often ignore or hide. Cassals, who played well into his ... Read More …

Wanted—starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. Experience preferred but not mandatory. Good health a pre-requisite. Any pitcher with previous arm, shoulder or elbow injuries need not apply. It will only slow down the process. Good pay, good hours. If interested apply to Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Dunedin Florida. Ask for Alex Anthopoulos—he will be the man with the windblown face who looks like he had a car accident on the way to the stadium. ... Read More …

Monday was a rest day for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ players but it’s unlikely that Carl Robinson and his coaching staff will have spent the day with their feet up in the front of the fire drinking the finest cognac while perusing the latest issue of “Robb Report” (we all do that on our days off right?).
It’s far more likely that they will have been going over just what didn’t work in the team selection ... Read More …

Religion writers, believe it or not, are not a dull bunch.
Although some might be “mild-mannered,” as the saying goes, I have found most have fascinating life stories.
The saga behind one of my religion writing predecessors at the Vancouver Sun is hard to beat for drama.
It harkens back to the day when newsrooms were hard-drinking places full of eccentric and wild characters.
The grim story about Ivers Kelly, who edited the religion pages ... Read More …

Police from various Lower Mainland agencies monitored the funeral of slain gangster Tejinder (Tee) Malli in Delta Monday.
Malli, a Richmond resident, was shot to death in a targeted hit in Coal Harbour March 10 as he sat in a vehicle.
Vancouver Police continue to investigate the slaying of the notorious gangster, who had received numerous warnings from law enforcement about threats to kill him.
VPD gang squad officers checked vehicles and requested gangsters on ... Read More …

Rain stopped play in my garden this weekend but not before I had time to prune two mophead hydrangeas and move two large boxwood balls into place as part of my new green-on-green landscaping scheme.
You see below the kind of look I am after with my boxwood cloud idea. It is something I saw in Gourdon in France earlier this year and is also a style very much liked by people like Lawrence Johnston ... Read More …

I ran into someone today who works in an IT department who didn’t know what TED is. His colleague’s teenage son, a wisp of a thing, all legs and Adam’s apple, looked at him pitifully.
Anyone in the technology, entertainment or design world who doesn’t know what TED is, I suppose, should be prepared for the merciless ribbing the hapless IT guy got.
TED’s in town today, down at the Vancouver Convention Centre. As I ... Read More …

A group of local urban farmers are taking their business direct to the shining glass towers of downtown Vancouver this summer with a farm market food cart at Robson Square and farm-to-office delivery of weekly baskets of fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and honey.
Fresh Cart is a partnership between the farmers and the successful Re-Up BBQ, which recently graduated from food cart status to bricks-and-mortar business but still holds a food cart permit on Robson ... Read More …

She was a fine lassie, with a hint of Guinness on her lovely lips, who stood near the finish line Saturday morning with a big clover-shaped sign that read: “Kiss me, I’m Irish.”
Two leprechaun-sized dudes in front of me, with green fuzzy shoes (McNikes?), must have thought they found their pot of gold after finishing the BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5K as they planted big smooches on the giggling gal.
Then, it was my ... Read More …